When the Heat squandered a 14-point, third quarter lead on their way to a 85-76 loss, you had to wonder if this team has what it takes to beat the Celtics in a seven-game series.
Serious questions emerged from this disappointing meltdown that need to be answered immediately.
For one, where is the offense going to come from beyond Dwyane Wade?
If Michael Beasley and Jermaine O'Neal don't step it up in a big way, this will be a very short postseason for Miami. The same goes for Udonis Haslem, Quentin Richardson, and Dorell Wright; they're the x-factors in this matchup.
On the other side of the court, the defense that defined the Heat's 18-4 close to the regular season disappeared in crunch time; giving up 52 points in the paint doesn't help either.
So what happened?
Well, Beasley got dominated by Kevin Garnett and Haslem didn't fare much better. Tony Allen and Rajon Rondo had a field day with Carlos Arroyo and Mario Chalmers. Richardson held his own against Paul Pierce for the most part, but that's a battle that Miami just won't win for a full 48 minutes.
The Heat let the Celtics ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Michael Pinto
2010 NBA Playoffs: With Kevin Garnett Out, Game Two Is a Must-Win for Miami
April 19th, 2010 by Michael Pinto Leave a reply »
Advertisement